The Zwicky Transient Facility: System Overview, Performance, and First Results

Abstract

The Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) is a new optical time-domain survey that\nuses the Palomar 48-inch Schmidt telescope. A custom-built wide-field camera\nprovides a 47 deg$^2$ field of view and 8 second readout time, yielding more\nthan an order of magnitude improvement in survey speed relative to its\npredecessor survey, the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF). We describe the design\nand implementation of the camera and observing system. The ZTF data system at\nthe Infrared Processing and Analysis Center provides near-real-time reduction\nto identify moving and varying objects. We outline the analysis pipelines, data\nproducts, and associated archive. Finally, we present on-sky performance\nanalysis and first scientific results from commissioning and the early survey.\nZTF's public alert stream will serve as a useful precursor for that of the\nLarge Synoptic Survey Telescope.\n

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Affiliated Institutions

• University of California, Berkeley US
• National Central University TW
• Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY DE
• Macau University of Science and Technology MO
• Jet Propulsion Laboratory US
• Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory US
• Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules FR
• California Institute of Technology US
• AlbaNova SE
• Infrared Processing and Analysis Center US
• Joint Space Science Institute US
• Stockholm University SE
• Weizmann Institute of Science IL
• University of Maryland, College Park US
• Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique FR
• Adler Planetarium US
• Tel Aviv University IL
• Northwestern University US
• Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin DE
• Deleted Institution
• City University of Seattle US
• Space Science Institute US
• Université Clermont Auvergne FR
• University of Michigan US
• University of California, Santa Barbara US
• Soka University of America US
• University of Washington US
• Goddard Space Flight Center US
• Radboud University Nijmegen NL

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